


i feel the light surrounding me

by displayheartcode



Series: Warmth of the Sun [18]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, F/M, POC Potter, POV Outsider, Rule 63, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7601005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/displayheartcode/pseuds/displayheartcode
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Weddings are not easy to plan when you're the Girl-Who Lived.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i feel the light surrounding me

**i.**

Petunia Dursley wrinkled her nose at the obnoxious couple. They were being too affectionate in public, the kissing and touching and laughing loudly. What self-respecting couple would act like this?

She gathered at the immaturity that they were young – unlike her wonderful daughter Daisy who had impeccable manners for a woman her age – and were most likely planning a ridiculous sort of wedding that lacked any sort of tradition. No white dress, not being done at a church, no wedding planner, it was all wrong!

Of course, Petunia knew this because she was close enough to overhear the conversations. Hovering close to the display of pink roses at the open market, she strained her ears and hoped that she would find more juicy information to share with her friends. What kind of wedding were they even thinking of having without the bride wearing a white dress?

Hippies. That was what they had to be.

She could only see the backs of them, but the woman was dark and of average height, with black hair that was sloppily pulled into a bun. Her dark green jacket flashed like scales in the afternoon light that contrasted strangely with her worn jeans Her fiancé was a tall man with an atrocious shade of red hair that made Petunia queasily think back to the time her living room was destroyed because of some bumbling man and his terrible daughters. But what made her shudder the most were the motorbike helmets that they were holding.

 _Hippies_. With motorbikes. How terrible! What was her London coming to these days?

The woman was laughing at something her fiancé was saying. They were being loud again, giggling and flirting like some of those reckless teenagers that lived in her nice neighborhood. Petunia craned her neck, wanting to hear more, but was immediately distracted by the brilliant diamond ring. And the glasses when the woman turned her face.

That face. Sharp cheekbones like her lay about father, that lightning bolt scar marring her forehead, the hair that could never be tamed and the wildness and strangeness that surrounded her much like it did for everyone of her kind.

Petunia went very still and pale. Her bag of flowers dropped to the pavement as she clutched the table for support.

"Maybe we should buy white roses to appease your mum," the wretched girl was saying. Her fingers lightly danced over the display of them that were on sale. Petunia waited for the flowers to wither and die from being near the witch. "Since we've already broken her heart about the dress and the color scheme." Her engagement ring flashed in the light—the round diamond set in a gold band that had small opals studded on either side.

This was ridiculous. Entirely and utterly ridiculous because why would some girl like her niece get engaged before Petunia's own daughter even had a boyfriend?

"What would really break her heart would be us eloping." The boy gave Potter a saucy smile. "Like you haven't thought about it…"

Petunia gasped loudly.

Potter turned to see her aunt.

"Aunt Petunia!" she greeted warmly, waving as if they were old friends. Her fiancé had the opposite reaction.His smile quickly became a scowl. He regarded Petunia with a frosty expression.

"Is that your—"

Potter patted a hand on his chest. "Don't worry, Gideon." She walked over to where Petunia was standing. Her niece had changed in the last five years she had seen her. No longer the sickly and pale girl, her brown skin had a healthy glow, she stood taller and with a new air of confidence. "It's been a while hasn't?"

Petunia nodded.

Her niece's gaze was sharp. "I'm engaged now. You've already met him in passing—that's Gid Wealsey, his sister Rory is my best friend. We're planning on getting married in autumn at his parent's place."

Petunia made a strange noise. Her entire world felt as though it was tipping on its edge.

"I take it that you, Vernon and Daisy wouldn't mind getting an invitation?" Potter innocently quirked her head to the side, taking in her aunt's terrified expression. "Don't worry, things are much safer these days. I even work for the government! You know the man you saw with the old minister? Well, he's a wizard and I work for him now."

Halley Potter's smile was as awful and strange as her magic.

"Merlin's beard, we have a lot to catch up on. I haven't even told you about the dozens of kids Gid and I plan on having…" she continued with her smile growing brighter and larger with each word.

**…**

The motorbike roared to life. Gid snorted from behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, and mouth pressed against her neck. "I think you gave her a neurosis."

Halley checked over her shoulders for traffic before pulling out of the parking spot. She whistled cheerfully from under her helmet, her shoulders feeling light and mind clear as the cloudless sky above. "I was only giving my loving relative an update about my life."

She continued to whistle and her fiancé laughed as they sped down the main road.

 **ii**.

The proposal happened like this:

Halley gripped on his hair, tugging when she felt his snicker against the inside of her thigh.  _"Gideon,"_  she warned. She particularly liked his mouth and what he was capable of with it.

"Okay," muttered Gid. He traced the curve of her thigh, then kissing his way up to where the knee was. "But I like driving you mad like this," he said as Halley cursed at him.

She squeezed her legs around him, sheets tangled and their bodies pressed together as they rolled to Gid's back. Straddling his chest, Halley used her new position to her advantage by leaving a trail of light kisses against his jaw. "No  _teasing_." She allowed her lips to hover above his mouth for a second before straightening her back. "It's not nice."

"Neither is doing this to your fiancé," said Gid pitifully, looking at her with his dark eyes.

Halley paused midway as she bent down to kiss him. "My what?" The word 'fiancé' struck her like cold water.

Gid pushed himself on the backs of his forearms. "Uh, assuming—wait. Dammit, I… Let me fix this." He shifted into a sitting position, his hands fluttering nervously before holding her by her hips. He looked up at her, eyes solemn with a reverent expression. "Marry me." He licked his lips. "I can't believe I slipped—but I was going to use a Snitch and—"

Halley cupped his face and kissed him deeply.

"I love you," he gasped, pulling back, eyes dazed, "more than anything else." A hand slid through her hair to cup the back of her head, the other snaking around her waist, pulling her closer to him. "Marry me.  _Marry me."_

She stared into Gid's eyes; a reel of their lives together played in her mind's eye. Seeing him at King's Cross for the first time, saving him in the Chamber of Secrets, growing and changing into the boy who consoled her during her darkest moments, and kissing her after winning the match. She remembered the time after the war, all of the pain and tears, but pulling together and creating the foundations for their lives.

Halley saw their future. She saw them aging with children and grandchildren, with years of peace and home following them. She saw the memory of seeing the Mirror of Erised, those wishes of wanting that for a future.She now had something just as desirable: friends that stood by her, a family made of choice, and a boyfriend looking at her as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"I do," she said. She was kissing him again and again, pouring as much love that she could, and then laughing as they fell back into the mattress.

**iii.**

Margot Hasting, the proud owner of Ivy's Boutique, wasn't sure how much of a disaster was going to happen because of her newest client.

The bride-to-be had arrived with her maid of honor, and both were going to be extremely difficult to find dresses for. The bride was of average height with an athletic build, black hair that appeared to have never been near a brush before, but such a lovely face! A full mouth, sharp cheekbones, and emerald eyes surrounded by long lashes.

The maid of honor was the opposite.

Impressively tall and curvy, her fair skin was covered in freckles, and her red hair was a shade that Margot had never seen before, and because of this, would now be  _extremely_   _difficult_  to find something that would suit her coloring with the bride's. The difference in their hair alone was bad enough, but their body types… Margot felt an eye twitch.

"What kind of dress are you looking for?" she asked the bride. Margot folded her hands behind her back, plastering a smile on her face.

The bride gave her a blithe response. "Something easy to take off."

"Halley!" gasped the maid of honor, her face swiftly matching her bright hair.

"Do you really think I want to wear a bunch of frills and layers?" Halley huffed, brushing her hair away from her face. Margot inwardly winced at seeing a strange scar on the bride's forehead. It was old, and the lines gave a strong resemblance to a lightning bolt.

Margot's smile thinned. "How about you tell me more about your wedding? What is your fiancé like?"

Halley jutted a thumb to her friend. "Her only brother. He also shares my opinions about the frills and layers."

**iv.**

Gid knew that he was going to marry her early on in their relationship after the war.

It was one of those simple realizations after they were done flying and were dipping their feet in the Black Lake. Watching the Giant Squid lazily make its way around the lake, they simply enjoyed each other's company in a rare silence. It was a moment between the ending of her latest Auror assignment and the start of his final exams, one of the few times that they could meet up during the year without too much stress.

She was sitting between his legs, and he was running his fingers through her hair, undoing the snarls and knots that the flying had caused.

There was something about how the sunlight glinted off her glasses that he loved. The serene expression she always got when he played with her hair. How she was constantly in motion just after a good flight. He loved all of that and everything about her.

It gave Gid more insight about the romance songs that his mum loved to listen to. The ones with Celestina Warbeck's  _sotto_   _voce's_  voice going on about the longings of the heart—not that he was going to tell Mum that he had listened to Warbeck's music of his own free will.

Halley leaned her head back. "What are you humming?"

"A Cauldron Full of Hot , Strong Love," he admitted sheepishly. He gave a playful tug of her hair when she groaned. "What, do you want me to start serenading you with my sweet voice? I could start singing to you every night?"

"You wouldn't." She narrowed her eyes.

Gid started to hum the opening notes to the song. Laughing, Halley splashed the lake water at him.

"I love you," she said, standing up. "But you can't sing."

"But you  _love_  me." Gid rose to his knees as her girlfriend smiled cheekily. "And I love you—" The image of Halley with a ring on her finger and wearing floaty dress robes appeared in his mind. "—like a cauldron full of hot, strong love…"

**v.**

"Are you pregnant?" Molly asked in the traditionally blunt Weasley way. Andromeda's eyes went wide and spluttered some of her tea over the table.

Halley looked up from the display of menus. So much for trying to decide on what deserts will be served at the wedding. "I'm pretty sure I'm not," she said. Then, narrowing her eyes at Andromeda, who had visibly sighed in relief, she asked, "You too?"

Molly steepled her fingers under her chin. The knitted needles that she had enchanted to make Victoire's pink birthday jumper froze in midair. "We're just breaking all sorts of traditions, are we?" She gave Andromeda a wry look.

The older witch siphoned the spilled tea away with her wand. "Don't look at me like that," she said. "You know that you're not the only one in this room who had a quick wedding."

Halley felt her eyebrows reach her hairline. " _How many people think that I'm pregnant?"_

Then Molly and Andromeda tried to explain to her the common opinion of the Wizarding World about the fertility of the Weasley family.

And how it was now a household rumor that Halley was expecting.

She was not amused.

**vi.**

In the summer after the war was when Halley knew.

Gid was asleep in the hammock with her, snoring softly with his head in her lap and feet dangling over the edge.

Halley studied him, relieved that she could see the rise and fall of his chest to help counteract the nightmares of Bellatrix's Killing Curse striking him. One moment, she remembered, one moment was all that it would take for everything in her life to change.

 _You broke up with Gid to keep him safe,_  whispered a soft voice in the back of her mind.  _And look how well that turned out._

Gid, Luce, and Nellie hadn't spared any details about what they had gone through under the Carrow's reign. Every visceral detail and new injury made Shayleigh's words more true on how they made Umbridge looked tame in comparison. That only made the anger fester more in Halley at seeing he friends scarred from whip-marks, having their own words carved into the backs of their hands, and the new grimness in their eyes.Halley knew that realistically she couldn't save everyone, but that couldn't stop her from the guilt.

Her boyfriend stirred suddenly in her lap, eyelids fluttering before he relaxed and drifted back to sleep.

 _I hope one of us is having nicer dreams,_  she wished.

Halley traced circles over his cheek, allowing herself to remember that silly fantasy that she had a year ago about seeing Gid waiting for her to arrive down the aisle.

The future was unknowable; anything could change, but Halley knew she loved him and that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, too.

**vii.**

**THE CHOSEN ONE'S CHOSEN!**

_Witch Weekly's_  Ekaterina Ashway

_'Darling readers, you are seeing this all for the first time that the Wizarding World's hero, Halley Potter, is now engaged to her long-term boyfriend Gideon Weasley, the star Chaser for Puddlemere United!_

_After much speculation when their relationship was first discovered, many fans have been wondering when the question will be asked. Now we can be assured that the famous Auror is wearing a ring, and their wedding is being planned. Alas, this is all we know for now at_ Witch Weekly _. Potter and her close circle of friends have been keeping a tight lip for reasons such as privacy and security…'_

"Huh," said Halley. "That's oddly nice of them to respect our privacy."

"Then don't read the next article," Gid warned her. "You're in a good mood about the press. Enjoy that moment."

Against his judgment, Halley flipped the page.

**UNION OF LIES?**

_Witch Weekly's_ Romeo Vane and Guest Writer Rita Skeeter

Halley was quick to burn it.

**viii.**

Gid leaned his chair back. "But I'm not the only Weasley," he pointed out. "I have a ridiculous amount of cousins that'll carry the name. You're the only Potter left!"

Halley huffed. "So?"

"I don't want to feel like I'm taking something away from you." Gid leaned his chair forward, folding his hands over Halley's desk. "It's your family's name, it's your legacy, and that matters to me, too."

This had been an ongoing argument.

"You're not taking anything away," she told him for what felt like too many times. "And family is more than just blood for me—look at my living relatives!"

"Gideon Potter has a nice ring to it," he tried.

"And so does Halley Weasley!" She sighed again. "This would be a much easier conversation if my last name was 'Dursley'."

 **ix**.

In Gid's opinion, they were perfectly mature adults that had to resort to hiding in the changing rooms because acting like a child was a great way to avoid stress.

Halley was pressed against him, her hand covering his mouth as she used her other to weave an extra layer of charms to hide them. Outside of the changing room was Beatrice trying to find Halley. Gid feared that with his sister's werewolf tendencies that they would be found soon. The idea of spending another hour looking at centerpieces next door petrified him.

But Beatrice had cursed and given up when Fabris called out for her help with selecting their daughter's dress robes to wear at the wedding.

"She wants to wear ze orange one,  _mon amour_."

"Keep Rory far away from her!"

Beatrice ran and Halley's mouth curved into a smile. She removed her hand from Gid's mouth. "I have never been more thankful for the Chudley Cannons."

Gid laughed, relieved. "Remind me to not crush them too badly next season." He blinked, realizing what kind of clothes that Halley had brought with her to change into. "So, uh, does this mean I'm getting a sneak peek of our wedding night?"

**x.**

Hector tossed another RSVP in the growing pile. "Nellie says that she can't wait. She's also bringing a date."

Rory elbowed Halley. "Careful," she said. "You might get another dangerous plant!"

Halley ignored this. She looked back at the list that Hector had created, tapping Nellie's name with her wand so that the letters would glow. The number that was scribbled on the top of the list went up by two. "Here I thought I was going to have a small wedding," she sighed.

"You're marrying into the Weasley family," Hector reminded her, rolling his eyes. He opened the next envelop with his wand, his wedding band catching the soft golden glow that was charmed in each card. "Hasn't our wedding taught you anything?"

Halley furrowed her eyebrows. She pushed her glasses up her nose. "Always try to be ahead of Muriel in the line for cake."

Rory snorted. "You're not wrong."

Halley leaned back in the loveseat, eyes wandering over the stuffed bookshelves that lined the walls of the living room in the house that Hector and Rory shared. She smiled at seeing their wedding photo that was hanging above the bookshelf that looked as though it was going to explode at any moment from the sheer weight and amount.

"Do I really have to invite Muriel to the wedding?" she asked. "Just because you two and everyone else suffered at their own weddings doesn't mean that Gid and I have to."

"Just look at it this way." Rory sat on the arm of Halley's chair. "This can be your biggest chance to prove that hag wrong. She might actually think you're the Girl-Who-Lived this time!"

"She also said yes," added Hector. He held up the glowing invitation. His expression was dreadfully smug.

Halley groaned.

**after.**

In the morning after being engaged, Halley watched her ring sparkle in the light, admiring how the opals flashed brightly with hints of greens, reds, and purples. It was a lovely ring. It wasn't one of the bulbous jewels that the older Pureblood families wore, but it was elegant and beautiful in its own way.

She rolled to her side and gave Gid a kiss. "I love you," she murmured, touching the side of his sleeping face.She lingered for a few moments before slipping out of bed, and rummaging around the room for her clothes.Halley found a jumper and a pair of jeans that would do, and was lacing her trainers when she realized that she might forget something.

Summoning a quill and a scrap of parchment, she scribbled the note and made sure that Gid would see it on the bedside table when he woke.

Satisfied, Halley gave him one last look before leaving their apartment and Apparated.

**…**

She appeared at the cemetery with a slight 'pop'. The heavy foliage near the kissing gate had given her an ample amount of cover. She stepped her way out of the bushes and pushed opened the rusting doors of the gate with a tremble in her hands.

It wasn't the first time Halley had visited her parents' graves after the war. In fact, she had now made it a routine on her birthday, Halloween, and whenever she felt like she needed some time alone. As morbid as it would seem to other people, Halley usually felt a strange sort of peace at the cemetery. She knew that her parents were near, and now since using the Resurrection Stone, that they were aware of her.

Halley found the tombstone easily. Not much had changed since her last visit. The marble was still a bright splotch against the aged stones nearby, and the grassy area surrounding the grave was still clean. A few wildflowers had even started to grow.

She sat down with her legs crossed, drumming her fingers against her knee. The ring sparkled again and she twisted the band so that she could follow the swirling engravings.

"Mum, Dad." Her voice was quiet, yet steady. She smiled into her cupped hands. "I'm getting married. I wish you could be here to see this…"


End file.
